1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to refuse disposal systems, and more particularly relates to refuse disposal systems for the hygienic disposal of sanitary napkins and the like.
2. Background Information
The disposal of tampons, sanitary napkins and other types of sanitary products in a hygienic manner is a frequent issue in public restrooms for operators and maintainers of said facilities. If sanitary products are disposed of a sewage or septic system problems such as sewage pipe blockage can occur, causing backups and overflows of plumbing components.
As a result, building maintenance operators often provide special waste receptacles for deposition therein said used sanitary products. Numerous special waste receptacles and manners of sanitary disposal have been invented and are currently utilized. For instance, it is known to use a provided small wax paper bag for deposition of the used sanitary products therein, this wax paper bag being folded shut and placed in a standard garbage receptacle. Another example is a enamel metal floor receptacle having a hinged lid. Also known are floor or wall mounted receptacles having hinged doors.
With such prior art units, in order to operate the unit the user must open a lid that has been touched by others with soiled hands. The potential for transmittal of wet or dried bodily fluids from user to user is very high, thus making the operation of the unit unsanitary. Another issue is the fact that oftentimes discarded waste from previous users can be visible to the next user. This particularly occurs where the previous user(s) may not have been careful to xe2x80x9chidexe2x80x9d their discarded waste with the folding of their feminine hygiene product and/or wrapping toilet paper around the feminine hygiene product, thus making the container unsightly. Even with the wrapping of toilet paper around the discarded waste, sanitary napkins in particular are prone to xe2x80x9cre-openxe2x80x9d themselves and produce and unsightly and unsanitary condition. In addition, the xe2x80x9cre-openedxe2x80x9d sanitary napkins can be hanging outside of the waste container, thus making the container unsightly and unsanitary to other users.
The current prior art units are too small in capacity to house frequent use, thus making them unreliable to hold large amounts of waste in restrooms such as those found in restaurants, shopping malls, etc. If the waste container is not emptied frequently by janitorial staff, the container becomes full. Janitorial staff, particularly when the waste container is unsightly or unclean, can intentionally neglect proper maintenance of this receptacle rather than dealing with the mess. Also, a full container deters future users from using such a means of disposal, thus some users look for other means to dispose of their feminine hygiene products (often times through the plumbing system), which can cause additional problems for the owners of the facility.
Due to unsanitary conditions of the current means of disposal and the unreliability of the units, users often discard their waste through the plumbing system as noted above. This will often clog plumbing systems, requiring the emergency visit of a plumber to solve the problem. Thus resulting in added expense to the owners of the facility.
One of the more prevalent current models of waste containers for the discarding of feminine hygiene products is a floor-based model in which the placement of this container is oftentimes out of reach of the user who is positioned on the toilet. The user is apt to discard of her waste through the use of the plumbing system because of this inconvenience. As noted in the above paragraph, this can result in added expense to the owners.
With the current means of disposing feminine hygiene products, the janitorial staff is faced with the daunting task of removing the discarded waste products and cleaning the waste container. Dried bodily fluid residue is oftentimes on the outside housing of the container and on the floor surrounding the container as waste products will at times fall onto the floor due to the unreliable nature of the current waste containers.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for sanitary napkin disposal which provides for sanitary operation of the unit, hides waste from subsequent users, is reliable, is inexpensive, is convenient, and is easily changed out and unnecessary to clean. The present invention solves these needs.
The present invention is a feminine hygiene disposal unit for sanitary receipt and disposal of used sanitary products. While the intended use of the present invention is for the disposal of said used sanitary products, the present invention could also serve as a trash or other receptacle in general.
The present invention provides for a fresh, clean surface for each use. A user is not required to touch any part of the invented unit in order to utilize the present invention, thus making it more sanitary than current models used for feminine hygiene waste and/or sanitary product disposal. Through use of the present invention, previously discarded feminine hygiene products are not visible to subsequent users. It is preferred that the waste containing housing of the present invention be large enough to hold the capacity of frequent use. Additionally, through use of the present invention, the discarded feminine hygiene products are compacted into smaller units (in bags), taking up less space than with the current models.
The present invention""s preferred lack of a hinged lid allows for the xe2x80x98cleanxe2x80x99 discard of feminine hygiene products, thereby reducing the likelihood of discarded waste hanging out of the bin or soiling the outside surfaces of the housing. The simplicity and intrinsic nature of use of the present invention ultimately will reduce costs with less plumbing system maintenance fees, as well as reduced usage of toilet paper traditionally used to wrap feminine hygiene products.
The placement of the invented unit, at the shoulder of the user seated on the toilet, and the absence of having to manually open and close the unit, makes for simple and convenient operation, thereby encouraging its use. Loading of the individual use disposal bags is as easy as loading a restaurant napkin dispenser. The waste container or receptacle is easily and sanitarily changed out as the used receptacle liner slides out the front of the unit and the new liner is easily slid in. Since the very nature of this unit is to provide a sanitary means of disposing feminine hygiene products, the outside of the housing will remain clean, thereby making a daily cleaning of the outside of the unit unnecessary.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description wherein I have shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.